Press Releases

Mississippi Son

an award winning documentary feature film giving a voice to the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast who continue to be neglected by the media, FEMA, SBA, and the insurance companies as billions pour into the war in Iraq (95 min.)

Press Releases

DUALTONE TO DISTRIBUTE MISSISSIPPI SON SOUNDTRACK

15 April 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that Nashville based music distributor Dualtone will distribute the soundtrack for Mississippi Son.

"I got an email a few weeks ago," states director Don Wilson. "It was from a Nashville executive saying he had seen Mississippi Son on TV and he wanted to talk to me about distributing the soundtrack. Just like magic. As you know, Mississippi Son has a completely original blues-rock soundtrack composed and performed by musicians who had been affected by Hurricane Katrina. They received grants from MusiCares and Music Rising to purchase all the equipment they had lost in the storm. The distribution of the music will really help them out as well. This project is blessed indeed. I want to congratulate all the musicians for the success of the film and the soundtrack - especially Bill Hoyt and the Music Supervisor Kim Hoyt."

EUROPEAN BROADCAST PREMIERE: JOHN MCLEAN MEDIA SELLS BROADCAST RIGHTS IN ITALY AND ITALIAN SPEAKING TERRITORY

12 February 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that our international distributor, John McLean Media, has sold the broadcast rights to Mississippi Son in Italy and the Italian speaking territories including Switzerland, Vatican City, and Monaco. "Well, I just don't know what to say," states director Don Wilson. "It floors me to think that a European audience will be able to see our little film. We made a decision when we went into production not to interview the president, or governor, or senators. We didn't want to make the typical Discovery channel style documentary. We wanted to make a small movie featuring local folks, letting them tell their own stories. Little did we know, these little tales would grow wings and fly overseas. Wow, wait til I tell my mom!"

MISSISSIPPI SON SIGNS WITH PASSION RIVER FOR DVD DISTRIBUTION

8 February 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc. proudly announces that we haved signed with Passion River to distribute the DVD of Mississippi Son.

"Passion River has relationships with places like Netflix, Borders, IndieDocs, amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sam Goody," states director Don Wilson. "They specialize in award-winning documentaries, so we're really excited and honored to be part of a winning team."

NATIONAL BROADCAST PREMIERE: TVN LICENSES MISSISSIPPI SON FOR FEBRUARY 2008 THROUGH MAY 2008

13 December 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that the nation's largest video-on-demand company, TVN, will be licensing Mississippi Son for television broadcast February-May 2008.

"Thanks to the hard work of our producer, Leslie Wilson, Mississippi Son has made it to television," states director Don Wilson. "We are very excited about the journey our 'little film with a big message' has taken. We premiered in Mississippi because it was a Mississippi story - despite advice to the contrary that we should go to one of the internationally recognized festivals. Then we spent six months on the film festival circuit winning so many awards I was beginning to think my momma was paying people off! Now here we are with the biggest VOD distributor licensing our baby. I'm button-poppin' proud - I tell ya! But we can't lose sight of the most important fact which is that a national audiene will be able to see what has been happening to the good people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the two plus years since Hurricane Katrina ravaged our shores."

MISSISSIPPI SON WINS BEST DIRECTOR AWARD AT INDIE FEST USA

7 November 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that the Academy of Independent Cinema Arts & Artists honored Don Wilson and Mississippi Son with their Best Director award at INDIE FEST USA at Downtown Disney in Anaheim.

"I am speechless," says director Wilson. "I'm an editor by trade, and all my awards have always been for editing. When Americana Media moved into producing feature films, the decision was made that I would direct them. This is my feature film directorial debut and to have it recognized by such an important society at their festival is truly beyond my wildest expectations for this picture. We set out to make a 'little film with a big message' and shine a light on the plight of the folks on the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. We were very upset and continue to be upset at the neglect from the media, the government, and insurance agencies. At least someone's paying attention. Thank you INDIE FEST USA and the Academy."

MISSISSIPPI SON WINS BEST DRAMATIC DOC AT DOCUFEST ATLANTA

1 November 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that the Festival League has awarded Mississippi Son Best Dramatic Doc at DocuFest Atlanta.

"We won Best Feature Documentary at our premiere at Mississippi's Tupelo Film Festival," states director Don Wilson. "It's really nice to receive another overall award. We certainly poured our heart and soul into letting the folks on the Gulf Coast tell their story. It's frustrating that Washington doesn't seem to hear the hurt on the coast. But it's gratifying that the Festival League in Atlanta does. Many thanks for this recognition."

MISSISSIPPI SON WINS BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S OXNARD FILM FESTIVAL

3 October 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., announces that the festival review committee at Southern Califonia's Oxnard Film Festival awarded Mississippi Son Best Cinematography at the festival's closing ceremony.

"We were very honored to be recognized in this category," explains director Don Wilson. "This was not an IMAX movie shot with prime lenses, you know. We had several people shooting and even came up with a collective name for our little clan of shooters, Bayou Krewe. You'll actually see Bayou Krewe in the credits for cinematography. As the director, I did have a vision, a plan. I shot quite a bit myself and was able to communicate to others the look I was going for. The festival folks told us it was shot and edited creatively with an edgy, aggressive, innovative style, and they wanted to recognize that accomplishment. I want to thank them for being sensitive to what we were trying to do - which was to replicate the look and feel of a hurricane and the subsequent disaster zone. We attended the closing ceremony and had a great time."

GULF COAST PREMIERE: MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO SCREEN AT ARTSALIVE!, THE HANCOCK COUNTY ARTS FESTIVAL

25 September 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces the Gulf Coast premiere of Mississippi Son.

"We've been invited to screen at ArtsAlive! in Hancock County," states director Don Wilson. "If you've been following Hurricane Katrina news over the past two years, you know that Hancock got the eye of the storm. It's literally ground zero. Many of the people interviewed in the film live or lived in Hancock. We are unbelievably humbled to return and share our 'little film with a big message' with those folks. That area of the coast, especially Bay St Louis, has been identified by various arts organizations and the media as one of the top ten small arts communities in the country. The Katrina debris artist, Lori K. Gordon, is very active there and has organized the screenings - she's also featured in our film. I'm personally very grateful for her help. We had talked to some casinos and colleges on the coast about screenings, but they were afraid of some of the things people had to say in the film. Not to mention some of the signs people had posted along the coast! We also didn't want a pat happy ending - the film ends more ambiguously, and we got some resistance to that. My feeling, as the director, is that these people lost everything, and - for some - life will never be the same. I wanted to respect that. To pay it homage. Not gloss it over. I also thought it was important to let the people tell their own stories in their own words. If they wanted to spray paint a sign and put it in their front yard attacking the insurance companies, I wanted to show that. If they wanted to get on camera and criticize the federal government's response, the developers, the insurance scams, I wanted to show that. I wanted to tell the truth. Or let people tell their own truths. One thing I've learned through this process is that some people - especially those tied to government agencies or corporations - don't want anything to do with the truth. Many of the people on the coast have been abandoned. Promised insurance money and government grants have not come through. Now the Army Corps of Engineers is in town trying to buy people out - after some have used every last resource - both emotional and financial - to start rebuilding. It's a disgrace. And I can't believe - to this day - the media is still focused on New Orleans. What happened in New Orleans is bad - don't get me wrong - it's one of my favorite cities on earth. But the Mississippi Gulf Coast was completely destroyed in Hurricane Katrina and there are still sections down there that look like the storm hit last week. All this while billions pour out of our country and into war. WLOX is going to have me on the day before the screenings on October 26th to do their live newscast at 4:00pm. I hope they're ready. Cause I have a lot to say!"

Mississippi Son will screen Saturday, October 27th, 1:30pm, at the Hancock County Library with a Q&A and Filmmakers' Reception to follow. There will then be an encore screening at 6:30pm at the Firedog Saloon ruins on the beach. Bring a chair, a cooler, and blankets.

MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA'S AMADOR FILM FESTIVAL IN WINE COUNTRY

16 September 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces the screening of Mississippi Son at the Amador Film Festival in Sutter Creek, California.

"Everybody who knows me knows how I love my red wine," jokes director Don Wilson, "so a screening in northern California wine country was a natural for me. The festival director, Mike Kerrigan, had an opportunity to see the film with another festival and called to ask us if he could screen it at his festival in Sutter Creek. Of course, we are very honored to participate in a festival that celebrates the 'art of film.'"

Mississippi Son is screening at 6pm on September 21st. For more information, visit the website at http://amadorfilmfestival.com.

MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO DOCUFEST ATLANTA

12 September 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that Mississippi Son is an official selection of DocuFest Atlanta.

"We believe the documentary is an important art form," states director Don WIlson, "the most honest, the most able to affect social change. We wanted to screen at an exclusively documentary festival and researched a lot of them. DocuFest Atlanta seemed to be the best fit for us. They screen really important and well regarded documentaries from around the world, and they're in the South. As I've said many times before, Mississippi Son is a Southern story, and we really wanted to show it on the Southern film festival circuit. This is also our first screening at an art gallery, and we're really excited about that."

Mississippi Son's screening time is September 28th at 6:00pm at the eyedrum art gallery. For more information, visit the website at http://festivalleague.com/2007docufest.

MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO PORT TOWNSEND FILM FESTIVAL

10 September 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces the screening of Mississippi Son at the Port Townsend Film Festival in Port Townsend, Washington.

"Port Townsend is the sister city to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi," explains director Don Wilson. "After the storm, the folks from PT came in and really helped the BSL survivors - especially the artists. I really want to thank them for all they've done, and we're psyched to screen at their festival."

Mississippi Son's screening time is September 29th at 10:50am at the Community Center. For more information, visit the website at http://www.ptfilmfest.com.

MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S OXNARD INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL

18 August 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that Mississippi Son is an official selection of the Oxnard Independent Film Festival 20-23, 28-30 September in Ventura County just north of Malibu on the Pacific coast.

"The producer, Leslie, takes a lot of time to do research before she submits our film to festivals," states director Don Wilson, "but she took more time than usual for this one. We knew we wanted to screen the film in Southern California - we're Southerners, but we're based in Los Angeles - and we were getting a lot of pressure from friends and family who really wanted a SoCal screening. So Leslie looked around very carefully for the ideal opportunity. She wanted a smaller festival to fit the 'smaller' nature of our film. Our tagline is 'a little film with a big message.' She wanted a historic downtown area and preferably something on the coast. The Oxnard Independent Film Festival is a decade old and very well respected. It seemed to be the perfect fit, so we submitted. A few weeks ago, we got the excellent news that we're an official selection. We're very honored and hope to pack the house with local supporters."

Mississippi Son will be screening Saturday night, September 29th, 9:30pm, at the Plaza Cinemas 14. For more information, visit the Oxnard Independent Film Festival online at http://oxnardfilmfest.com.

AMI SIGNS WITH SETH KITTAY AND JOHN MCLEAN TO REPRESENT MISSISSIPPI SON IN MEDIA MARKETS

8 August 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - AMI signed with respected industry veteran Seth Kittay to represent Mississippi Son in the North American media markets. Kittay launched some of the most well known cable television programming services such as Movietime/E!, Telstar Pay Per View, and HBO. He headed up sales and marketing for many of these companies in their early stages, and in the case of HBO he stayed on even longer. He has licensed to such networks as HBO/Cinemax, Showtime/The Movie Channel, Sundance, Encore/Starz!, DirectTV, Fox, USA Network, SCI-FI, A&E, The Disney Channel, Turner, American Movie Classics, WE, Oxygen, Lifetime/LMN, iNDemand, Speed, Blockbuster, and PBS. For more information, visit http://www.allchannelfilms.net.

AMI signed with John McLean to represent Mississippi Son in the international media markets. McLean founded John McLean Media in April 1999 after ten years as a producer with West 175 Enterprises, a television production company. He represents independent producers from all over the world to buyers and distributors. His list of international clients includes Artsworld UK, BBC Worldwide, Discovery International, France 5, Globosat Brazil, ITV Digital Channels UK, RAISAT Italy, TVB Hong Kong, and Living Channel New Zealand. For more information, visit http://www.johnmcleanmedia.com.

John McLean Media will be representing Mississippi Son at Mipcom in Cannes, October 8th-12th.

MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO GEORGIA'S ROME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

6 August 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that Mississippi Son has been invited to screen at the Rome International Film Festiival held 6-9 September in Georgia.

"Because Mississippi Son is a Southern film and tells a Southern story, we feel it's very important to screen it on the Southern film festival circuit," states director Don Wilson. "This will be our third Southern festival and we couldn't be prouder to be a part of it. MovieMaker magazine just added RIFF to their prestigious '20 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee' list. We are also excited about this festival because it's the home of the Southeastern Film Industry Expo, a film industry convention that runs alongside the festival and deals with all aspects of film production. A very important event for Southern filmmakers."

Mississippi Son will screen 8 September 2007, 5:00pm, at the Forum Civic Center.

Katrina debris artist Lori K. Gordon - featured in the film - will host an exhibit of her art before the screening. Admission is free to "An Artist's Response to Hurricane Katrina," 10am, Coosa Room, Sara Hightower Regional Library.

For more information, visit the Rome International Film Festival website at http://www.riff.tv.

MISSISSIPPI SON FEATURED IN POPULAR GULF COAST MAGAZINE: SOUTH MISSISSIPPI LIVING

1 July 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., reports that a feature article on Mississippi Son has been published in the July 2007 edition of South Mississippi Living, a popular Gulf Coast magazine.

Written by Katrina debris artist, Lori K. Gordon, who is also featured in the film, "People: This Son Shines Bright: Mississippi Son" traces director Don Wilson's motivation to tell the story of loss, fear, courage, and hope in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The article reviews both the film and the soundtrack as well.

Although the magazine is published in full glossy color, it is also available online at
http://www.print2webcorp.com/news/SouthMississippi/Living/20070701/p30.asp?st=p30_s1.htm&t=s.

"I'm blown away and so greatful to Lori Gordon for writing this flattering article and getting it published in such a great magazine," states Wilson. "I'm also excited about the great job South Mississippi Living did in terms of the layout and the photos they chose. One photo where we're all sitting around a table at Vanelli's Restaurant was taken at Mississippi's Tupelo Film Festival. We premiered the film there, and it won Best Feature Documentary. Good memories. I'd also like to add that the last paragraph damn near made me cry. Thanks Lori and South Mississippi Living!"

MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO THE RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

23 June 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., announces the invitation of Mississippi Son to the 11th Annual Rhode Island International Film Festival held in Providence, Rhode Island, 7-12 August 2007.

"This is a Mississippi story, so we decided to premiere it at a Mississippi festival last May," explains director Don Wilson. "Then we went on to another fest on the Southern film festival circuit, the Little Rock Film Festival, to start spreading the word that the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast have been abandoned by the media, the insurance companies, and various federal agencies and to remind everyone that the Mississippi Gulf Coast was completely destroyed by the biggest natural disaster in American history. Those folks still need our help. Now we know we need to screen this film on the national stage in order to get our message the attention it deserves. We submitted to the Rhode Island International Film Festival because it's consistently ranked as a top twelve film festival in the United States by such publications as Travel Smart magazine and Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide. In addition, the folks who run the festival put a lot of stock in editing and film score, and we believe these are two of Mississippi Son's strengths. On a more somber note, we knew that the festival plays in August which marks the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. We thought it was important for the film to screen during the anniversary month. We are very impressed by the festival and very honored, excited, and - honestly - humbled to be a part of it. This is a big step for Mississippi Son."

The film will screen 11 August 2007, 12:00pm, at the University of Rhode Island in Providence.

For more information, visit the Rhode Island International Film Festival website at
http://www.film-festival.org.

MISSISSIPPI SON SOUNDTRACK CHOSEN AS FINALIST IN THE FILM SCORE CATEGORY AT THE MOONDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

19 June 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., is honored and delighted to announce that the Mississippi Son soundtrack has been chosen as a Finalist in the Film Score category at the Moondance Film Festival.

"The Executive Director of the festival, Elizabeth English, called us personally to ask us to submit our film score after she heard it. We were incredibly honored. To be chosen as a Finalist is just icing on the cake," said Mississippi Son director Don Wilson. "I produced the soundtrack, but I want to give all the credit to our Music Supervisor Kim Hoyt. I also want to congratulate the musicians Bill Hoyt, Debbie Stanbro, Dave Lacy, Rochelle Harper, Fort Bayou Slim, and Mr. Mark. Moondance is called 'The American Cannes' and industry insiders rank it only behind Sundance and Cannes in terms of importance to a filmmaker's career. Obviously, this is an incredible honor - way beyond anything we could have imagined for our little film."

MISSISSIPPI SON WINS MISSISSIPPI'S TUPELO FILM FESTIVAL

21 May 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces the results of our screening at Mississippi's Tupelo Film Festival.

A panel of judges awarded Mississippi Son Best Feature Documentary - 1st Place.

"We are blown away by this honor," said director Don Wilson. "We think it's really important to get the message out that the people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast have been neglected and abandoned. Promises that were made about grants and other help have now been broken. The country has moved on. Winning this award brings attention to this important message and honors the victims. It also tells me that other people think this issue is important as well. I would like to thank all the people who worked tirelessly on this project - especially Bill Hoyt and Kim Hoyt who composed and performed much of the soundtrack. I would also like to add that we loved Tupelo, the city, the film festival, and the festival hosts. We had a great time, and we hope to go back again in the near future."

MISSISSIPPI SON LISTED IN "TOP RATED FILMS"; RECEIVES FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS AT THE LITTLE ROCK FILM FESTIVAL

20 May 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly reports that Mississippi Son was listed in the "Top Rated Films" in "The Festival Buzz" column on the Little Rock Film Festival website where audience members also ranked the film five out of five stars.

"We loved the Little Rock Film Festival," said director Don Wilson. "The quality of the films was only matched by the quality of the festival founders. We were also very honored by the positive response we received from audience members in the Q&A's after our screening and in their ranking of the film on the website."

MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO ARKANSAS'S LITTLE ROCK FILM FESTIVAL

27 April 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., announces the invitation of Mississippi Son to the Little Rock Film Festival in Little Rock, Arkansas. The film will screen at the Riverdale 10 Theater, #8, on 19 May 2007 at 12:30pm. An encore screening has been scheduled 20 May 2007 in the same theater at 1:00pm. A Q&A session with director Don Wilson will follow both screenings.

"As a Southern film, we thought it was important for Mississippi Son to screen on the Southern film festival circuit," said director Don Wilson. "We are very proud and honored to be a part of the Little Rock Film Festival."

The director along with select cast and crew will also be attending the opening Gala May 18th at the Clinton Presidential Library, 8pm.

For more information, visit the Little Rock Film Festival website at http://www.littlerockfilmfestival.org.

MISSISSIPPI SON INVITED TO MISSISSIPPI'S TUPELO FILM FESTIVAL

24 April 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces that Mississippi Son has been invited to the 4th Annual Tupelo Film Festival in Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. On 17 May 2007, the film will screen at the historic Lyric Theatre at 1:55pm. A Q&A with director Don Wilson will follow.

"I think it's important to screen this film in a Mississippi festival first," stated Wilson. "It's a Mississippi story and it needs to begin on Mississippi soil."

The opening night festivities will follow the screening of Mississippi Son. They begin at 7:15pm across the street from the Lyric Theatre on Courthouse Lawn.

For more information, visit the Tupelo Film Festival website at http://www.tupelo.net/filmfest.

MISSISSIPPI SON WINS THREE TELLY AWARDS

9 April 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., proudly announces the results of our entry into the 28th Annual Telly Awards.

Mississippi Son won three Telly Awards for achievement in Documentary Filmmaking, Editing, and Use of Music.

Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards are the premier industry awards honoring outstanding television, video, web, and film production.

"We are very excited about this honor," said Mississippi Son's director Don Wilson. "We made this film to give the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast a voice as they continue to be neglected by the national media, the federal government, and the insurance companies. It is very rewarding to have a jury of our peers recognize this documentary in three categories and therefore give attention to this important issue."

FILM AMERICANA ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF MISSISSIPPI SON

10 March 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., announces the completion of Mississippi Son. This documentary feature film gives a voice to the people of the Gulf Coast who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. While the country has moved on, director Don Wilson returned to his homeland to let his people tell their own stories in their own words.

"I made this film out of passion and fury," Don states. "Passionate love for the coast and the people here. And fury over the neglect. They have been ignored by the media as it continues to focus on New Orleans. They have been mistreated by the government, FEMA, SBA, and the insurance companies. And all this while we continue to pour billions, trillions into the war in Iraq. Now, over a year after the storm, people are still in tents and trailers. They either haven't gotten any money at all or they have only gotten 10% of what they were told they would get, 10% of what they deserve. I know people will say it's too late for a documentary about Katrina, but I disagree. This story is not over and someone has to be brave enough to tell it. Right now, Spike Lee's documentary about New Orleans is on HBO. Who's telling Mississippi's side of the story? Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, and Robin Williams are raising money for New Orleans with Comic Relief. Who's raising money for Mississippi? I invite everyone and anyone to come with me down to the coast. You will not believe your eyes."

FILM AMERICANA ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF AN ORIGINAL BLUES-ROCK SOUNDTRACK FOR MISSISSIPPI SON; GRANTS PROVIDED BY THE EDGE'S MUSIC RISING AND THE GRAMMY'S MUSICARES

15 December 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., announces the completion of an original blues-rock soundtrack for their documentary feature film, Mississippi Son. Composed and performed by victims of Katrina, this soundtrack was recorded on equipment and instruments provided by The Edge's Music Rising and The Grammy's MusiCares.

Kim Hoyt, music supervisor, states, "Working on this project has been an unbelievably spiritual, healing thing for me." Kim, his brother Bill Hoyt, singer Debbie Stanbro, and director Don Wilson make up "Debris," what might be called the "house band" for Mississippi Son.

Additional music is provided by Gulf Coast local favorites: Rochelle Harper, Mr. Mark, Fort Bayou Slim, and Dave Lacy.

FILM AMERICANA ANNOUNCES THE PRODUCTION OF MISSISSIPPI SON

17 May 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Film Americana, a division of Americana Media Inc., announces the production of their latest film, Mississippi Son. Set on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, this documentary examines the people, the culture, and the future in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Born and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi, L.A. filmmaker Don Wilson has been deeply moved by the losses of his friends and family. In this film, he talks to those who lived through the hurricane and continue to deal with the aftermath of the storm.

“After the hurricane hit,” Wilson explained, “I trekked through all the barricades and debris to get to my eighty-year-old mother. The Gulfport airport was closed, so I was on the first flight into Mobile just days after the storm and rented a car to get to her. I couldn’t believe the devastation. It looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off. My mother was in shock and hadn’t eaten or had anything to drink for days. I flew her to L.A., and she stayed with us for a few weeks.” In this film, he returns to talk to the locals about the human spirit in the face of their unbelievable loss.

Don Wilson graduated from Gulfport High School East then attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He began his film and television career as a News Producer with WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi. Since then, he has produced, directed, and edited NFL sports broadcasts, hit network sitcoms and comedy shows, major motion picture movie trailers, prime time dramas, HBO and Showtime music and comedy specials, five Olympic games, feature films, award-winning documentaries, high-end corporate videos, and national commercials. He was also one of the founding fathers of the music video and literally helped create the MTV style. Fortune magazine once named him the most important editor in the music video business, he won a Video Music Award, and he was nominated for several MTV Music Video Awards. The list of musical acts with which he has worked is nearly infinite, but some of the biggest acts include Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Duran Duran, INXS, Alanis Morissette, Pearl Jam, Sting, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Billy Joel, and Mariah Carey. Of course, his awards have not been limited to music videos; his work has earned him film festival honors, a Monitor, a Telly, and an Emmy.

But perhaps Wilson is proudest of producing, directing, and editing Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking music video, “Man in the Mirror,” one of the most popular videos of all time. In this ode to humanity, Wilson showed us the power of the human spirit in the face of crisis. He hopes to bring the same tender lens to the crisis in southern Mississippi.

Principal photography in and around Gulfport, Mississippi, May 22rd-June 5th, 2006

CONTACT:

Leslie Wilson, Co-Principal
AMI/Film Americana
lwilson@americanamediainc.com

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